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Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

theregister.co.uk

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Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#81

Post by SwellJoe »

ubernostrum wrote: post #28
SwellJoe wrote: post #9

Since we've all been screwed by the mobile industry for the entirety of its existence, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel indignant towards Google for pissing off said industry. There are very few industries more arrogant and abusive than the telcos (at least in the US; I dunno about the UK), and if Google wants to take their place, I'm all for it. Instead of playing the consumer-screwing game better (like Apple d…

So your argument, in a nutshell, is "two wrongs do indeed make a right"?

No, my argument is that Google has done nothing wrong. They provided an Open Source OS that any phone maker could use (like Nokia/Symbian has done before), and when that failed to light a fire under the device makers and get them to do the right thing by their customers, Google stepped up and did the right thing by their customers (who overlap with the phone makers and telcos, but Google monetizes them differently...and historically treats them differently, as well).

I see a turf war between carriers (with Apple thrown in as a spoiler on one side) where the casualties are mostly innocent bystanders (us consumers). Google is sort of acting as a UN peacekeeping force, here. They might do some harm, as well, but their overall intent seems to be to knock some sense into the warring factions and make them stop treating consumers so badly. As with the UN, they are mostly powerless to fix the underlying issues, but they can at least set a good example of how to engage. I fear I might stretch the analogy a bit far if I go into any further depth or start mentioning war crimes, so I'll stop now.

But, I definitely do not see anything wrong with Google partnering closely with a handset maker (HTC) and producing a great phone with fair and open pricing and usable on most networks. I'm not sure what you believe is wrong with that...if there were some sort of contract or agreement in place to prevent Google from doing this, I'm sure the lawsuits would have already been announced. I'm, frankly, happy that Google has opted not to collude with telcos to keep the status quo (the way, say, Apple has done).

Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#82

Post by SwellJoe »

bbuffone wrote: post #45
SwellJoe wrote: post #9

Since we've all been screwed by the mobile industry for the entirety of its existence, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel indignant towards Google for pissing off said industry. There are very few industries more arrogant and abusive than the telcos (at least in the US; I dunno about the UK), and if Google wants to take their place, I'm all for it. Instead of playing the consumer-screwing game better (like Apple d…

Everyone complains about the mobile industry but if I listed the industries that have or are currently screwing me mobile isn't even in the top 10. Health-care, Insurance, Oil, Headphones, Government, Credit cards, Banking, Financial, Video Games, Cable then maybe mobile. My mobile plan is one of the lowest monthly bills that I have based on amount of usage. To my knowledge it is one of the least subsidized industrie…

Screwing me is unacceptable, regardless of the relative degree. The mobile and telco industry is extremely consumer-hostile, and anyone that argues it isn't simply isn't paying attention (or is a shill for the industry). Google has never screwed me or tried to screw me. Maybe they will, someday, and maybe they have screwed others. But, in general, Google has done the right thing by me, and I believe the Nexus One is also an honest attempt to do right by me, as a mobile device consumer.

Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#83

Post by mpakes »

bbuffone wrote: post #53
sokoloff wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Headphones industry is screwing you? And specifically screwing you worse than the others you list later? I'm very curious to hear more about this...

Over the last two years, I have spent about $700 dollars (3x the cost of my iPhone) on 4 different pairs of in-ear headphones that have broken. Wires, connections, shocking my ears have all been part of the experience. Now for the last week, I have been thinking I am going deaf because I need to turn everything to 11 just to hear it. Then I plugged in a different pair, and almost had my ear drums burst form the loudn…

4 pairs in 2 years? Are you chewing on the wires? Do you let your pets use them as toys? Do you regularly drench them in liquids (battery acid, maybe) ?

I can only conclude that you must work in the most hazardous of environments.

I've had pairs of Apple, Sennheiser, Shure, and Sony headphones over the last 10 years (ranging from $10 - $200 in price), and I can only think of maybe one pair that has died (an old pair of iPhone in-ears succumbed to sweat during long-distance running), and they've all seen well over 2 years of use each.

Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#84

Post by [deleted] »

ax0n wrote: post #71
chrischen wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it interesting when people trash the government. In the US atleast, you have some control over it. If you are getting screwed by the government, you have various outlets to mobilize change and if you don't act on them it's no ones fault but your, since the government answers to it's shareholders: you.

I didn't vote this guy into office. But I did vote. And I knew going into it that either candidate would've screwed us over in his own way. Most of us have come to terms with the fact that all candidates are for bigger government, it's just whose pork barrels will be filled for the next 4-8 years.

[deleted]

Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#85

Post by chrischen »

ax0n wrote: post #71
chrischen wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it interesting when people trash the government. In the US atleast, you have some control over it. If you are getting screwed by the government, you have various outlets to mobilize change and if you don't act on them it's no ones fault but your, since the government answers to it's shareholders: you.

I didn't vote this guy into office. But I did vote. And I knew going into it that either candidate would've screwed us over in his own way. Most of us have come to terms with the fact that all candidates are for bigger government, it's just whose pork barrels will be filled for the next 4-8 years.

You can be a candidate too. That's the the whole premise of democracy. Choose the right guy, and if the right guy ain't there you can step up.

Or you can keep whining and wait until someone else does it like the rest of us.

Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#86

Post by [deleted] »

padmanabhan01 wrote: post #80
chrischen wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it interesting when people trash the government. In the US atleast, you have some control over it. If you are getting screwed by the government, you have various outlets to mobilize change and if you don't act on them it's no ones fault but your, since the government answers to it's shareholders: you.

//you have various outlets to mobilize change and if you don't act on them it's no ones fault but yours I disagree. I should not need to mobilize change or act on it to be able to have certain things. Mobilizing change has a cost (time, effort, money etc) and I should not be forced to pay those costs for things an individual in a civilized society ought to be entitled to.

[deleted]

Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#87

Post by chrischen »

padmanabhan01 wrote: post #80
chrischen wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it interesting when people trash the government. In the US atleast, you have some control over it. If you are getting screwed by the government, you have various outlets to mobilize change and if you don't act on them it's no ones fault but your, since the government answers to it's shareholders: you.

//you have various outlets to mobilize change and if you don't act on them it's no ones fault but yours I disagree. I should not need to mobilize change or act on it to be able to have certain things. Mobilizing change has a cost (time, effort, money etc) and I should not be forced to pay those costs for things an individual in a civilized society ought to be entitled to.

Freedom isn't free. The 'civilized' society just doesn't arrive naturally. People who want a civilized society have to actively work to maintain it.

What do you think tax is for? It pays for the military which defends your civilized society, your schools to make sure the next guy you hire isn't an idiot, and your police so that it's less likely you get mugged.

When you pay tax you're actively working to maintain your civilized society, but it's not enough. A government can enforce and execute but at the lowest level it still needs people like you with ideas to operate.

You have the right to bitch about your goverent only after you have exhausted all recourse.

You're only entitled to what you work for, and that includes defending it.

Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#88

Post by skywalker »

orangecat wrote: post #76
skywalker wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"...Google looked... the way they were being sold (exclusive to specific carriers, and used to lock consumers in, just like all prior phones) and felt that it just wasn't doing the job the way they'd planned. Android had a reason for existing, and it was to break the logjam in the mobile industry". If that was their intention, they failed at it. The Nexus One costs about the same as the iPhone to produce, yet the unl…

The Nexus One costs about the same as the iPhone to produce, yet the unlocked version is sold by the the same price that what an unlocked iPhone would be. You can't buy an unlocked iPhone from Apple in the US. You can buy a contract-free iPhone for $600, which is more than the Nexus One and still locked to AT&T. Yes you may be able to unlock the iPhone yourself, but that gets you in a constant cat-and-mouse game with…

That is why I said "would". I based my calculations on estimates.

http://www.isuppli.com/News/Pages/New-iPhone-Carries-173-BOM...

Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#89

Post by skywalker »

SwellJoe wrote: post #79
skywalker wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"...Google looked... the way they were being sold (exclusive to specific carriers, and used to lock consumers in, just like all prior phones) and felt that it just wasn't doing the job the way they'd planned. Android had a reason for existing, and it was to break the logjam in the mobile industry". If that was their intention, they failed at it. The Nexus One costs about the same as the iPhone to produce, yet the unl…

The Nexus One costs about the same as the iPhone to produce, yet the unlocked version is sold by the the same price that what an unlocked iPhone would be. That means their are getting Apple like obscene margins. The point: You missed it. The Nexus One is officially unlocked, and usable on just about any carrier. The carriers are the problem here, and breaking the hold they have over consumers in order to allow compet…

Sorry. I thought the cheaper N1 was locked and under a contract. But apparently only the later is true.

Re: Google to mobile industry: 'F*** you very much'

#90

Post by rms »

JadeNB wrote: post #43
btilly wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In large parts of the world most people access the internet over their phone, not a computer. For example India. Even here in the USA people are moving towards using their phone as a primary way to connect with services delivered over the internet.

Sure, I would have bought some statement like “For many people, their cell phones are the way they access the Internet”; but “cell phones are the Internet” seems bizarre. I didn't know that about India! When I was last there, it was all still Internet cafés. (Well, it was 8 years ago, so I guess it's no surprise that a lot has changed—besides which, I get the impression that the current generation is a lot quicker th…

I meant what I said. I think it only sounds bizarre because you are thinking of the internet as something that is accessed rather than something that exists. Wikipedia defines the Internet as "a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide." Surely a cell phone is one of those interconnected computer networks.
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